Aging Times: Signs Of When It's Time To Change Your Motorcycle Tires

Motorcycle tires are one of the most vital components of your bike or any vehicle. It is the one component that ensures ride quality, rider safety, and overall better performance. However, just as other parts of your motorcycle suffer from wear and tear, your tires are no exception. There comes a time where you will eventually need to replace your tires, and it is important to know when to change them.  

If you were to proceed to ride your motorcycle on tires that need to be replaced, you are putting yourself and others on the road in potential danger. Worn tires will not have the traction it needs to grip the road properly. This can potentially result in hydroplaning or having one of your tires burst entirely on you. Provided below are steps you can use to determine if it is time to replace your wheels. 

1. Wear: One of the most common signs of tire replacement is the amount of wear you see on the wheel itself. Most tire manufacturers will implement a tire wear indicator (TWI), letting you know when to use the wheels no longer. The sign will usually be a triangle indicator marked on your wheel. If your tires' surface wear to the point of the triangle, then it's time to replace it. 
    
2. Punctures and cuts: If you notice your tires riddle with cuts and punctures throughout, then it will need to be a priority to replace them. Tires with too many punctures and cuts are more prone to bursting when impacting road impurities, such as potholes. If you've ever seen parts of tire tread laying on the side of the highway, it's usually because of worn tires not being replaced in a timely manner.
    
3. Tread depth:  Having the proper tread depth is essential in providing control over your bike when on the road. Your bike will have trouble braking abruptly without tread depth and will be more likely to hydroplane on wet surfaces. New tires will come with 8 mm of tread. It is best practice to replace your tire when it reaches 3.5 mm of your wheel indicator.  
    
4. Low tire pressure: Having low tire pressure in your wheel can cause bald spots to occur around the outer edges of your tire. If you find yourself refilling your tire often, you may have a slow leak. Changing your tires as soon as possible will alleviate this issue.
    
5.  Cupping: This unusual tire wear pattern may result from worn shocks, loose suspensions or unbalanced tires. These issues can cause your wheels to move excessively in a manner of not reducing spring oscillation for controlling tire movement. Making sure to upkeep shocks, suspensions and balanced tires will ensure cupping doesn't form on your tires.  

These signs can help you determine when it is time to replace your tires. It's recommended that you don't postpone replacing your tires once you see physical wear. For more resources on motorcycle information, visit hupy.com and also visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/HupyandAbraham/.

In the event that you or a loved one has been hurt in a motorcycle crash, the experienced attorneys of Hupy and Abraham may be able to help you. We will go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that you are treated fairly, provide you with the personal attention that you deserve and use our experience of helping more than 5,000 injured riders make successful recoveries. Our personal injury law firm is the largest in the Midwest, with offices located in Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa. Our motorcycle attorneys have secured a number of motorcycle settlements in excess of a million dollars. 

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